New Jersey Democratic operative defends ’hunting’ Republicans

The Associated Press

Published 2:11 pm, Wednesday, June 21, 2017

TRENTON, N.J. >> A Democratic strategist criticized for tweeting “#HuntRepublicans” after a shooting that seriously wounded a top GOP leader is defending his bellicose language and doubling down on his support for “hunting.”

New Jersey political operative James Devine tweeted Wednesday that Republican Karen Handel’s victory over Democrat Jon Ossoff in Georgia’s special congressional election is evidence that Democrats should adopt more aggressive tactics. He tweeted: “it is time for hunting.”

Fox News host Tucker Carlson lambasted Devine in an appearance on his show Tuesday, calling him “unbalanced.”

Devine accused Republicans of using violent rhetoric for decades and said Democrats should “fight fire with fire.” He told Carlson he wasn’t encouraging or condoning violence.

Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana was shot last week while practicing with other Republicans for a charity baseball game.